A couple of days ago, Facebook made an announcement that has the marketing community buzzing…
Big chances are coming to Facebook’s algorithms when it comes to Page content and the News Feed.
And an additional announcement was made in the Facebook Newsroom.
With phrases like…
- “a major change to how we build Facebook”
- “you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media”
- and the panic-inducing… “some measures of engagement will go down”
…this announcement has certainly got marketers discussing what this means for digital marketing strategy. Especially those who rely on Facebook for most of their ad spend.
Here are some comments from members of our DigitalMarketer Engage community…
Generally, the response in our communities has been pretty positive, so if you’re in a panic…
Breath in.
Breath out.
It’s going to be okay.
To prove it, I asked some DigitalMarketer teammates for their thoughts on Facebook’s announcement (and don’t you worry, I’ll be weighing in with my own feelings, too).
From the Desk of Ryan Deiss
From the Desk of Here’s everything advertisers and marketers need to know about Facebook’s latest News Feed update…
Facebook believed that video was the answer to maximum monetization.
It’s simple math: Longer content in the same visible area means more “space” for ads.
It didn’t work out and the experience sucked because all the videos started to look like ads (because they were ads).
So now the emphasis will shift back to things that don’t look like ads, and in particular posts from friends that…wait for it…aren’t ads.
So, if you’re an advertiser, here’s what you need to do capitalize on these changes:
- Don’t panic or get angry. Remember that this change is happening to everyone at the same time, so be grateful for the opportunity it creates.
- Optimize for Likes and Shares, again, not clicks. (The “sale” can come later with custom audience retargeting.)
- Invest in communities (i.e. Facebook Groups). Like all channels that are initially built on the back of early direct response pioneers, Facebook is making the pivot toward branding.
But on Facebook (and all social channels, for that matter) branding doesn’t equal a clever Super Bowl ad or a memorable jingle.
Today, branding = community.
Build true community, and Facebook will start working better than ever.
From the Desk of Molly Pittman
From the Desk of “Relevancy is becoming more and more essential on Facebook. This is great for businesses who are truly serving a market and creating fulfilling content.
This is NOT great for people who rely solely on direct response tactics that don’t give value first.
But what is important is what’s best for the end user.
The happier the customer is, the more they will use the platform… the more inventory that we all have as advertisers. Facebook is just further weeding out the bad ones.
Content marketers and people who can create engaging video and content for social media just went up in stock value BIG TIME.
This is also great news for chatbots…
They allow brands to create that individualized experience that Facebook is looking to provide.”
(RELATED: Facebook Messenger Ads: How to Use Them in Your Business)
From the Desk of Katie Bower
From the Desk of Katie Bower, DigitalMarketer’s social media manager, shared her thoughts on how she plans to adjust our social media strategy.
“DigitalMarketer’s first core value is to ‘Love, protect, and respect our customers.’
As Facebook makes major changes to the algorithm, users will be seeing a lot less of ‘us’ and a lot more of the people they love.
Although this change is going to affect marketing strategies everywhere, the industry as a whole should embrace and mirror the efforts Facebook is making to continually satisfy their customers.
We’ll be changing our Facebook content to reflect the needs of YOU, our followers.
This means more relevant discussions about digital marketing and business growth as it pertains to your interests.”
Building a True Community
Building a True CommunityAs for me, I believe this announcement means that the need to build a true community on the Facebook platform will be more valuable than ever.
Facebook has already made big changes to Groups and is fully invested in revamping this red-headed stepchild of Facebook features.
(RELATED: What Facebook’s New Group Features Means For Community Managers)
They’ve also been giving more News Feed real estate than ever to posts inside of active Groups.
And Facebook is actively giving Groups more exposure to folks who might be interested in connecting with others who share common goals, experiences, or interests.
This focus on driving more community-building content rather than promotional messages is exactly the kind of push marketers need to start adding these online tribes as part of their digital marketing mix.
Now’s the time, folks! All aboard the community train!
